In the last two weeks of August I visited Peru for an outreach tour
organized by Peruvian organisation Unidos por los Animales (UPA;
http://www.unidosporlosanimales.org/ ). The tour was extremely
successful. Outcomes included:

-- I was able to deliver 20 main powerpoint presentations on humane
teaching methods within veterinary and other biomedical education, animal
experiments and alternatives, animal welfare standards within the veterinary
profession, and several other animal protection topics (my standard
presentations are at
http://www.andrewknight.info/presentations/presentations.html).Additionally,
academics from several veterinary schools in Lima delivered presentations on
the successful use of humane teaching methods within their disciplines (e.g.
anatomy, physiology, surgical and clinical skills training),and
universities. These were mostly delivered at four humane education and
animal welfare conferences organized by UPA in Lima and two other cities.
Our audiences varied from around 50 -- 150 and were mostly comprised of
students, faculty members and animal advocates. Several additional
presentations were provided during meetings at universities, as well as one
presentation at a Small Animal Veterinary Association meeting in Lima.

-- We held eight successful meetings at universities(mostly veterinary
schools, with some other faculties), or with faculty members. Deans of
veterinary schools were present (twice), and even a University
Vice-President (once), along with senior surgical instructors, or faculty
members in charge of key animal-using disciplines, such as physiology. UPA
did extremely well to secure these meetings.

-- We held four main exhibitions of humane teaching methods supplied from
the InterNICHE international and Peruvian alternatives libraries, with some
mannequins also supplied by a veterinary school in Lima. These were made by
students or faculty.

-- We achieved considerable media coverage (links are below).

Audiences were generally very receptive to our information and messages.
It was exciting to see large numbers of veterinary and other students so
interested in our exhibitions of alternatives, along with television and
radio stations and their reporters, and, perhaps most importantly, the
academics in charge of courses. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm for
humane teaching methods, and to learn of their own initiatives, sometimes
assisted by the work of APEH in Peru. For example, the anatomy museum at the
Veterinary Medicine School of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
in Lima included a large collection of ethically-sourced cadavers (skeletons
or bodies obtained from animals that have been euthanized for medical
reasons, or that have died naturally or in accidents). Similarly, to
overcome the prohibitive costs of acquiring additional venipuncture (blooddraw)
mannequins from the US, students and faculty at the Universidad Ricardo
Palma veterinary school in Lima have mastered the art of cheaply making
their own. They now have an impressive range of these mannequins which we
enjoyed exhibiting, to help encourage other universities to similarly
overcome their financial limitations.

Perhaps most exciting of all, however, were our communications with very
senior faculty at a veterinary and a medical school in Tacna. Both had been
the subject of recent media controversy and campaigns following publicity of
their harmful use of animals, particularly, use of stray dogs in terminal
surgical laboratories. Following our meeting with the medical school
faculty, they accepted their students could gain similar surgical experience
by assisting veterinarians sterilizing these street dogs, as part of a
charitable neutering program. I very much hope that this will proceed, and
be successful. And it was amazing to see faculty from the veterinary school
address the audience of around 100 at the end of our humane education and
animal welfare conference there, to tell everyone that their eyes had been
opened, and that they would seriously consider introducing humane teaching
methods!

Animal Consultants International
www.AnimalConsultants.org is
an internationally-based group of doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, graphic
designers and other specialists who provide multidisciplinary expertise and
key support skills for animal advocacy projects. If you need a speaker,
expert statement or other support to strengthen your project, we're ready to
assist you.

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Andrew Knight DipECAWBM (WSEL), PhD, MRCVS, FOCAE

- European Veterinary Specialist in Welfare Science, Ethics and Law

- Fellow, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics

- Spokesperson, Animals Count: a UK political party for people and
animals